Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Resources, Forestry and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

diabetes; high blood pressure and hypertension; heart attack and related heart diseases; and chronic obstructive airways diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. What is the Howard government doing about something of general benefit to Aboriginal people and their communities? Let us go to the issue of people with diabetes. In remote localities there are likely to be twice as many as in other localities.

Let us go to the issue of education, which the backbench members did not want to touch on today. Young Indigenous students are twice as likely as non-Indigenous students to have left school before completing year 10 and are half as likely to complete year 12. Indigenous Australians are less than a quarter as likely as non-Indigenous Australians to go to university. Moreover, the number of Indigenous students attending university has declined since 1999. For the first time since the 1990s, there has been a decline in the number of Indigenous students in vocational education at a time when we have an absolute shortage of tradespeople in Australia. Where does the Indigenous community live? In remote Australia, where we need tradespeople to assist with the development of the mining industry, the agricultural industry and the tourism industry.

Let us talk about the real criminals in Australia—those in government who failed to do something about assisting our Indigenous community. I simply say: let us have a debate about the root causes of crime. That is not what this debate is about. Legal responses do not address the reasons behind addictions that can fuel this kind of abuse. The Howard government is failing to recognise that the neglect of Aboriginal communities is creating a pool of young, unemployed, drug dependent men turning to crime—in some cases, horrific crimes. Put resources into solving problems at the source of the problem. If we invest in the communities, invest in health, invest in housing, invest in education and create some real employment in the communities, then we will reduce the crime rates. The crime rates, interestingly, are not that different in some of the suburbs in the electorates we represent where we have the same problems—no educational opportunities and no employment opportunities. Stop running away from the problem—(Time expired)

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